The Parish of Saints Cyril & Methodius A Family of the Eucharist Rev. Francis X. Gaeta, Pastor April 3, 2011 DIOCESAN PRAYER FOR FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION Dear God and loving Father, We ask your forgiveness for our own sins and for sins committed in the name of the Church. In your loving mercy forgive especially those sins that have harmed children and young people, as well as sins against the unborn, the poor and the vulnerable. Help us to be reconciled to one another and make us holy in your sight, that, united in the One Body of Christ, we may worship you with pure hearts, proclaim your name with faith and hope and witness your love to all human kind. We ask through Christ our Lord. Amen Most Reverend William Murphy April 3, 2011 Fourth Sunday of Lent The Pastoral Staff Rev. Msgr. Thaddeus Rooney We Celebrate the Lord’s Day Pastor Emeritus The Holy Eucharist Saturdays 5:00 pm Pastoral Associates Sundays 8:00 am Mrs. Virginia Conzo, 667-6264 9:30 am (Family Mass) Director of Religious Education 11:00 am (Choir) Mrs. Joan Gillespie, Ext 105 12:30 pm Director of Parish Social Ministry 4:30 pm Vietnamese Mass in Auditorium Mr. Timothy Leitch, 667-6230 6:00 pm (Teen/Youth) Youth Minister Weekdays: Monday through Friday Deacon Philip A. Mills, Jr. Ext. 110 7:00 am, 8:30 am, 12:15 pm Pastoral Associate for Administration Saturdays Deacon James A. Murano, Ext. 127 8:30 am Holy Days Director of Liturgical Music Eve of Holy Day 5:00 pm Sister Susan Snyder, CSJ, Ext 133 Holy Day: 7:00 am, 8:30 am, 12:15 pm School Principal 7:30 pm Parish Support Staff Mrs. Elizabeth L. Hughes, Ext. 111 Bookkeeper Sacrament of Baptism: Baptism is celebrated Saturday Ms. Joan Ann Loring, Ext. 122 at 12:30 pm and Sunday at 2:00 pm in our parish. Godparents Parish Secretary must be practicing, church-going Catholics. Please call Marianne Ms. Jane Evans Parker, 242-6718 Thrift Shop Manager to make arrangements. Ms. Anna Rose Regan, Ext. 112 Sacrament of Reconciliation: Confessions are heard Bulletin Editor Mrs. Marianne Saffran, Ext. 115 every Saturday afternoon from 3:30 pm to 4:45 pm, and after the Baptism Coordinator/Sacramental Recorder 12:15 pm Mass each weekday in the Church, and at any time at Mr. Bill Young, Ext. 150 the Parish Center by appointment with a priest. Plant Manager Sacrament of Marriage: Arrangements should begin at Deacons least six months in advance, and should be made prior to making Deacon John F. Fitzpatrick, Ext. 124 plans for a reception. Please call the Parish Center. Deacon Charles F. Huber, (Retired) Ext. 125 Deacon James A. Murano, Ext. 127 Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: This sacrament is celebrated at the 8:30 am Mass each Saturday for Associate Pastors those planning to enter the hospital for surgery or some other serious Rev. Caetano F. Costa, Ext. 168 treatment and for others who have need of the sacrament. Anyone Rev. Lee Descoteaux, Ext. 121 who is homebound may call the Parish Center to arrange for the Rev. Chrysogonus Nwele, Ext. 167 Rev. Francis D. Sang, (Retired), Ext.170 celebration of this sacrament. In an emergency, please call the Rev. Vincent Schifano, Ext. 163 Parish Center any time. Parish Center Office Hours: Pastor Monday through Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm Rev. Francis X. Gaeta, Ext. 120 Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Parish Center 667-4044 Religious Education 667-6264 Music and Liturgy 667-4044 Parish Center Fax 667-6237 Outreach 243-1649 Youth Ministry 667-6230 School 667-6229 Outreach Fax 243-1584 Thrift Shop 242-6718 School Admissions Ext. 133 www.sscyrilandmethodius.org www.sscmweb.org Page 1 - 415 Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish Deer Park, New York BREAKING OPEN THE WORD Reflecting on next Sunday’s Gospel BEFORE Mass can bring so much more meaning to your experience of Liturgy. Each week we print the following Sunday’s Gospel with questions for reflection and discussion. ENJOY! Fifth Sunday of Lent April 10, 2011 ~ Gospel: John 11:3-7. 17. 20-27, 33b-45 The sisters of Lazarus sent word to Jesus, saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” He became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what he had done began to believe in him. Jesus' promise of eternal life is central to our Catholic faith. Even though Easter is still two weeks away, we are invited today to acknowledge Jesus' power over death, evidenced in the raising of Lazarus, and to anticipate Jesus' conquering death once and for all in his death and Resurrection. When we join ourselves to Christ, we share in the power of his resurrection. When He created us, God sowed seeds of salvation in the resurrection. We sometimes use examples from nature to help describe this mystery of our faith. Jesus himself talked about the seed that dies when planted in the ground in order to produce new life (John 12:24). Using that image and others, we find hope and confidence in Jesus, the Resurrection and the life. REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What “graves” has God opened in your life? When have you felt “dead” and then experienced God giving you a resurgence of life? Describe some things in your life that bind you, stop you from “feeling alive.” What new life, new freedom is waiting to blossom in you? FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN: Think of a time when you held back from doing something good for yourself or another person. Describe. Spring is here. Think of some of the things that God gave us in nature that are signs of life. How do others know that Jesus is alive in you? Page 2 - 415 April 3, 2011 Fourth Sunday of Lent LENTEN HOLY HOUR Wednesday, April 13 from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm in the Church Take a little time to be with our Lord in a LENTEN HOLY HOUR on Wednesday, April 13th, from 8:00 – 9:00PM in the church. We will have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and our Music Ministry will fill the candlelit church with Lenten chants. We will close with Benediction. Don’t miss this very special hour, which will help us to better celebrate the liturgies of Holy Week. Bring a friend, who may need to experience the peace and serenity of prayer before the Lord. Page 3 - 415 Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish Deer Park, New York Thank You Fr. Frank We Love You! We are searching for suggestions for ways in which we might celebrate and honor Msgr. Frank Gaeta’s nearly ten years of love and service to our parish family. We thought it would be fitting to ask our family of parishioners for their thoughts. As you already know, we are preparing a photograph scrapbook, along with handwritten notes from the children, and have compiled a spiritual bouquet.